Cynthia Erivo turned to her Wicked co-star Ariana Grande for advice before recording music for her next album.
The Wicked actress didn't enjoy the experience of making her debut album, Ch. 1 Vs. 1, in 2021 so she turned to her good friend, pop star Ariana, for advice before embarking on a second record.
"I've recorded an album before and the experience was not necessarily the experience that I wanted for myself. It just was chequered with a whole bunch of stuff that wasn't right for me," Cynthia explained on the Las Culturistas podcast. "She and I had a really sweet heart-to-heart. I sat down and talked to her about my experiences and what was going on. I had really interesting relationships with managers that just didn't really understand and it got a little toxic from time to time.
"She was like, 'Well that's because you don't need a manager Cynthia, you already know what you want. What you need is a good label, what you need is a good team. You need people who understand your idea and can help you execute the idea.'"
Cynthia and Ariana have record deals with different imprints of the same company, so the 7 Rings hitmaker introduced the Widows actress to her imprint and she set up a joint venture, meaning the album is a project between both labels.
But their collaboration didn't stop there - the British star sought out the singer's advice as she wrote and recorded her songs.
"Whilst I was writing, I was sending it to her, having her listen to it, sending it back and forth, and getting her opinion on it; she's heard the whole thing," Cynthia shared. "To be able to get her ear on things, because I trust her ear implicitly, has been really really monumental."
Revealing when fans can hear her "eclectic" album, she added, "Now I'm kind of ready. So now we're putting finishing touches and getting it all done and by hopefully next year you'll have it."
